Honey and maple
Honey is mostly fructose and glucose, plus less than a fifth water. Maple syrup is mostly sucrose in water. Fructose browns at a lower temperature than sucrose, so honey glazes darken fast and can scorch quickly.
Storing honey and maple syrup
Honey keeps at room temperature because so little water is free for microbes. If it crystallizes, warm water melts it. Opened maple syrup goes in the fridge, since mold can grow. No honey for babies under 12 months, because of infant botulism.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
Why does honey-glazed salmon darken sooner than sugar-glazed salmon?
Honey is mostly fructose, which browns at a lower temperature. Fructose browns and caramelizes at a lower temperature than sucrose.
True or false: Honey holds on to moisture, so baked goods made with it stay soft longer.
True. Honey's sugars attract and hold water, which slows staling.
Fill the blank: Honey browns faster than table sugar because it contains ___.
Honey browns faster than table sugar because it contains fructose. Fructose browns at a lower temperature than sucrose.
What went wrong? You swap honey for sugar one to one in cookies at the same oven temperature. The edges darken before the centers set.
Honey browns sooner, so the oven needed to run cooler. Fructose browns early, so lower the temperature or shorten the bake.
You've opened a bottle of maple syrup. Where should you store it?
The refrigerator. Opened maple syrup can grow mold at room temperature.
True or false: Honey that has crystallized has gone bad and should be thrown out.
False. Crystals are glucose settling out, and warming the jar turns the honey liquid again.